


A room without books is like a body without a soul

by mariuspondmercy



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Getting Together, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-16 12:03:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9269633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariuspondmercy/pseuds/mariuspondmercy
Summary: Grantaire liked the library. It was his small refuge. Grantaire also liked the new librarian, Combeferre.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A very belated Christmas/birthday present to my friend Meg. Basically, the library AU no one asked for yet here we are.

Every evening, after a morning and noon at his dreaded work day, Grantaire liked to come to the library. The atmosphere calmed him down; the soft and too loud whispers of excited children looking through picture books, the rustling of pages, the thumps of heavy books being placed on tables – Grantaire absolutely loved it.

His work was stupid, dull, boring, unexciting, tedious, lifeless, monotonous, uninteresting… Grantaire could go on and on. Sure, he got paid quite nicely, but all he did was sit in the office all day, listening to his colleagues being absolute sexists.

This evening, Grantaire checked out _Moby Dick_ as well as a book about Greek mythology for children when he spotted a small sign.

“Oh, you’re looking for help?” He asked the woman behind the counter, Cosette.

 “Yes. My fiancé found a job in his field so he’ll have to quit this one. I’m very excited for him! Sure, I’ll see him less but he’s so happy to be translating again. Why are you asking?”

“I’d be willing to leave my well-paid job for a job I actually like,” Grantaire laughed softly.

“You could hand in your resume tomorrow and I’ll make sure to put in a good word for you,” Cosette smiled at him.

“That would be amazing, thank you so much! And no worries if it doesn’t work out. I’ve never worked in a library before…”

 “I’ve studied Social Studies, Marius did Translation and a variety of languages, Jehan studied French Literature and History. We’re very varied. One time, we had an acting student working here. You just have to love books.”

“That I do. I’ll make sure to apply for the job. Thank you.”

“Thank you for checking out books all the time and saving my job,” Cosette grinned. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yep. I’ll be returning _City Of Bones_ then. It was quite good but you can clearly identify it as a Draco Malfoy fanfic once you know it.”

Cosette groaned. “Tell me about it. Marius and I spent more than one evening getting worked up over that shit. We even tracked down that fanfic just to compare everything. But have you seen the show?”

“And the movie. Show is amazing, movie is… well. Not really worth being talked about.”

“I’m glad we share that sentiment. Take care, Grantaire.” She squeezed his hand softly and turned towards the customer behind Grantaire.

With a soft smile playing on his lips, Grantaire left the library. Maybe he’d have a shot at the job. That would simply be amazing! He could do what he loved and he didn’t mind at all that he’d have to get better at money management then.

The next evening, Grantaire dropped off the book as well as his resume. He had studied Art History after all, maybe that would be good enough to get the job. Seeing as he was a frequent visitor of the library – at least every second evening – and he knew everyone who worked there and considered them friends of some sort, Grantaire’s hopes for the job were high. Which is why he was even more crushed when he got a call from Jehan a few days later, telling him that, unfortunately, someone else had been chosen for the job.

Still, it didn’t stop him from coming to the library that evening once again. Okay, he did have about twelve books he needed to return and there was no way he’d just keep them – but he didn’t go just because of that. He liked the atmosphere, he liked the people, he liked the books. Sure, he hadn’t gotten the job but that wasn’t Cosette’s or Jehan’s fault.

“Grantaire, hi!” Jehan cheerily greeted him while Grantaire was strolling through the Young Adult Fiction section. “I’m so sorry it didn’t work out with the job…”

“Oh, it’s alright. I’ve got a job, so it’s all good, my friend.”

“I still would’ve enjoyed working alongside someone as insightful and prone to discussions as you.”

Grantaire smiled softly and squeezed Jehan’s hand. “Thank you. So, tell me the gossip, have you met them yet?”

“Oh, I have! I was there when he came in for the interview with the Big Boss. Cosette was there, too, because the Boss wants us all to get along. Valjean is like that. You know, I thought he’d hire you. Or at least ask you for an interview. He likes redeemed souls and you had your rehab on your resume. Plus, the guy now… well, you’ll meet him soon enough. He’s super nice, no question. I liked him.”

“You don’t sound convinced…”

“I can’t say much. He loves books and he looks like a hot librarian. I think he knows a lot. His first shift is next week.”

“I’ll make sure to check him, his hot librarian look, and his knowledge about books out then.” Grantaire clasped Jehan’s shoulder and smiled at them. “I’ll see you soon?”

“Yes, I’ll see you soon, my friend. Take care and enjoy the book.”

“Thank you, I definitely will.”

As the fates would have it, it took Grantaire more than two weeks to finally meet the new librarian – a tall, slim man with round glasses and a shy smile.

“So,” Grantaire drawled out the word as he placed his books – a copy of _The Martian_ , a book about Van Gogh and one about Bauhaus – on the counter, “you’re the one who stole my job.”

“I… excuse me?”

“I applied for the vacancy, too.”

“Oh… I… I’m sorry. Did you… do you need the job?” He worried his bottom lip between his teeth, which immediately made Grantaire feel very guilty about addressing the topic at hand.

“No no no, don’t worry! I have a well-paid job. It’s just not enjoyable. So I thought, maybe working here would be nice. I’m here all the time anyway. I like the atmosphere, I like the staff, I like the books. It would’ve been a good compromise but I don’t need the job. Are you enjoying it here though?”

“Oh, I love it!” He beamed at Grantaire while scanning his books. “The colleagues are so nice! And the guy who runs the library, M. Valjean? He’s a saint! He even let me crash in his bedroom for the first day because I couldn’t move into my new apartment yet. I’m new to Paris and… Sorry. I didn’t quite mean to… Oh, _The Martian_! I adored that book so much! You’ll have to let me know how you liked it, please?”

“Of course.” Grantaire chuckled softly. “So you’ve moved? Within Paris?”

“No, from Lyon. I… uhm… I studied medicine in Lyon but I don’t feel quite ready to be a doctor. I wanted to take a year off to really get to know myself. So I came to Paris for a weekend, I wandered around, I found this library, I fell in love. I’m glad I got the job. I enjoy it a lot. Tonight, I’m invited for dinner with Cosette and her fiancé. Do you think I should get them something?”

“Hmmm… something small, nothing much. They won’t expect anything and it would be kinda weird to get them something big.  You also don’t know them. Have you met Marius before?”

“Not yet, no. I’m excited to meet him, Cosette tells so much about him. He seems nice.”

Grantaire laughs. “He’s adorable. He wanted to get a cat for the library but Valjean said we can’t do that in case people with allergies come in. So he proposed an anti-allergic cat. Valjean is still considering the idea. Anyway, where was I…?”

“What I could get them?”

“Oh, right, yes! Just flowers? I think that would be alright. But Cosette also gets flowers quite often from Marius. Maybe… fuck do I know, just a nice bottle of wine for dinner, that’s always good.”

“Sure? I don’t really want to do anything wrong. I’m new and it’s nice to get to know people.”

“Trust me, you can’t do anything wrong, not with those two. They’re incredibly kind and gentle people. And then there’s Jehan. They’re so amazing, you’ll love them if you don’t already. And there’s always me, a pathetic graphic designer who’d rather work in a library than get paid well.”

“I’d be happy to befriend a pathetic graphic designer with good taste in books,” he smiled at Grantaire. “Oh, shoot! I never introduced myself, did I?” He quickly held out his hand. “Call me Combeferre, hi.”

He shook his hand with a smile. “Grantaire, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot about you. Our most loyal customer. Visitor? I don’t know…”

“Visitor is alright,” Grantaire grinned.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“If you’re working, then yes. Let me know how the dinner went.”

“Of course, though I’m certain Cosette will probably text you about it. You seem to be close.”

“We are,” Grantaire said. “I… uhm… yes. Until tomorrow! Goodbye, Combeferre.”

“Goodbye, Grantaire.” He waved him off with a smile.

On Grantaire’s way home, he couldn’t help but muse about the meeting in the library. The new librarian seemed nice – and Jehan had certainly been right in calling him a ‘hot librarian’. He seemed nice enough; Grantaire couldn’t say much yet. He’d make sure to read _The Martian_ as quickly as possible to talk to Combeferre about it; discussing and analysing a book made you see who a person really was. It reminded him of back in the day, when he had just moved to Paris, a youngling, so to say, and he had been to the library for the first time. Neither Jehan nor Cosette nor Marius had worked at the library back then, but a fellow called Bahorel. They had discussed _Harry Potter_ for three hours – friends ever since. Maybe that would happen with Combeferre, too. But then again, Grantaire wasn’t the naïve idiot from years ago anymore.

It took Grantaire eleven days to finish the book – and he took it back on the only day in the week Combeferre didn’t have the evening shift.

So Grantaire sat down in the library, writing his thoughts on sticky notes and a sheet of paper, sticking all of that into the book, the notes on the respective pages. He asked Jehan to please hand the copy to Combeferre for his enjoyment.

When Grantaire walked into the library three nights later, Combeferre was already expecting him excitedly.

“There you are! I read your notes and I have a lot to discuss but the library is super busy tonight because it’s the day before a bank holiday weekend and I don’t have time but so much to say. Your comments were highly insightful.”

Grantaire couldn’t help but smile at him. “You know, I’m just gonna browse through the sci-fi section for as long as I can and when I’ve run out of time to waste, I’ll check out the kids’ section. And then, at some point, the library is closing and, if you don’t object, we could grab dinner or take-out and discuss the book.”

“I—I… yes. I’d like that,” Combeferre smiled. “I gotta go back to work now, someone over there is excitedly waving for me to come over. I’ll catch you later?” He squeezed Grantaire’s arm softly before hurrying over to the man with child.

Grantaire caught himself looking after Combeferre with a fond smile – the man was ridiculous. So far, he had found out that Combeferre was really into pebbles, moths, and aliens. He liked the Romans more than the Greeks (something Grantaire would never be able to understand) but preferred Nigerian mythology over all other mythologies. That was something Grantaire could get behind, considering Combeferre’s parents were both Nigerian. Exact same reason why Grantaire himself was drawn towards Guatemalan mythology. Well, not exactly, as it was only Grantaire’s maternal family which came from Guatemala. He loved his roots and wanted to stay connected to his culture.

Two hours later, when the library had closed up, Grantaire was so immersed in a children’s book about the monsters in your closet. It was about coming-out, incredibly well-written.

“Grantaire? Are you… are you okay?”

“I… yes.” He took a deep breath. “It’s such an amazing book, I think I’m crying a little. How can kids read this? It’s so wonderful. I wish I would’ve had something like that for my coming out. Way less scary.”

Combeferre sat down next to Grantaire on the tiny children’s chair at the table. “It’s a really good book and I’m glad such books exist now. I could’ve used it, too, but it turned out alright in the end. My mum was a bit… apprehensive at first, not very supportive. The whole drill about how I’m the man in the house and how I should provide for the family and how I should become the head of my own family one day… until my sisters stepped in, all four of them, and told my mum that they’d move out as soon as possible if she’d reject me. And one of my sisters also came out that evening. She said it’s like ripping off a bandage and now our mum could decide if she wanted to reject two of five children just for who they love. Or… don’t love, in my sister’s case. I came out really late, after I had already had a few boyfriends. It was… it was hard to accept myself while I still lived with my mum. My father died early, so I had to grow up quickly and help my mother with the kids. I never really had much of a chance to understand that I am gay, even though I’ve known it ever since I was a kid. I think such a book would’ve really helped me. I’m glad the library has them and I’m glad they’re mixed in with the other books, because it means that kids will find the book, flip through it and maybe realise something.”

“Isn’t it stupid how it’s always scary? I knew my mum wouldn’t mind because my older brother was gay. My dad wasn’t too happy about it but that ass it out of the picture anyway. I don’t even know if he knows I’m bi.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Couldn’t care less. Anyway. One day I might tell you my tragic backstory but you have to be at least a level four friend for that, and we’re just scratching the bottom of level two. Are we good to go?”

“Oh, bottom of level two? And that after I worked here for only a month. We’re making fast progress,” Combeferre grinned.

He got up and held out his hand to help Grantaire up. After some hesitation, Grantaire grabbed his hand and got out of the kid’s chair.

“You know,” Grantaire said while slipping on his coat, “one day, I’d like to have a date in the closed library. I think that would be really amazing. Luckily I have connections and I’m sure, if I asked Valjean, he wouldn’t deny me that wish.”

“That sounds like a great date, actually. Imagine putting up some fairy lights before your date comes in. You can’t light candles, not allowed. Oh, you think you could read books to each other? Or get out your favourite childhood book and tell each other what you love about it and why it was important.”

Grantaire laughed softly. “I think childhood reminiscence require at least a level five romantic relationship status.”

“Whoa, level five? Okay, how many levels are there?”

“Well, in friendships, ten, and in romantic relationships, between seven and twelve. It depends on how far of the friendship scale you are. Cause if you’re already really good friends with the person you’re now dating, then you can skip a few of the relationship levels, meaning you have seven left instead of twelve.”

Combeferre nodded softly and held open the door for Grantaire. He waited for him to pass him before locking the door of the library.

“How fast does one advance on the scale? I suppose it depends on the person, right?”

Grantaire nodded and zipped up his jacket. “Yeah. My friend Bahorel and I, we were on three very quickly. Jehan and I shot right to five. Marius and I… it took longer because we’re both very insecure people, he even more so than I. It took us nearly a year to get to three.”

“So, what are the stages and why am I only scratching the bottom of two?”

“Well, yeah…” He furrowed his brows. “You’re higher. You should be higher. I don’t know why I said that earlier. Stage one is chit-chat, stage two is longer conversations, stage three is meeting outside the usual setting. So, us grabbing dinner is stage three. Stage four is home visits. Here, it doesn’t really matter if it’s my home or yours.”

“Really? I prefer going to someone else’s house first and then mine. It’s… very private, to let someone in to your room. That wouldn’t be my stage four, I believe. Not when there’s still six stages left.”

“I see your point. I think that’s why some relationships, may they be platonic or romantic, don’t work out even though they logically should. It’s because two people could be on the same stage but those stages have different topics. Or they agree on the topic but their stages are different.”

“Are you subtly trying to tell me that we can’t be friends because our stages are different?” Combeferre smiled softly at Grantaire.

“What? No, I… no, shit, I’m sorry! I didn’t… I… you’re great and I enjoy our library talks.”

“Grantaire, it’s alright.” Combeferre squeezed his hand lightly. “I was just teasing. I like hanging out with you. I think. We’ve never hung out before, apart from the library. So I’m really excited to grab dinner. Do you have a place in mind? I don’t know my way around the food scene of Paris.”

“My friend, fear not! I’m very well known for knowing everything and everyone. What are you feeling like? Persian? Italian? Authentic Southern France?”

“You don’t happen to know anything Nigerian?”

“I don’t, but I know someone who does. Come on!” He grinned and took Combeferre’s hand to drag him down a small alleyway.

It took them over an hour, talking to three different people, and using the metro more than Grantaire had in a while but they finally arrived at the restaurant – 15 minutes before it closed.

“We should ask them if we can even order since they’re nearly closing…” Combeferre said.

“Leave that to me,” Grantaire grinned.

He entered the restaurant with Combeferre in tow and spoke a few hushed words with the chef before turning towards Combeferre again.

“Good news! We can still order, just not eat here. I suppose we have to eat at one of our places then… mine is fairly far away but if you’re not comfortable having me at your place, then we can go there.”

“I think I live close to here… I am not entirely sure.” Combeferre furrowed his brows and got out his phone to check the map. “Ah, yes, close! I’m happy to have you at my place. I think you’d fit in. Is that… is that weird to say? It is weird to say.”

“A little weird,” Grantaire laughed. “Alright, you order for me because I have no idea what all of this is.”

Combeferre smiled and ordered way more than the two of them could ever eat. With three bags of food split between them, Grantaire happily followed Combeferre to the metro and then his small flat, chatting all along the way. And yes, Grantaire really followed happily because he was happy. It was a rare feeling for him to have, there when he moved to Paris, gone soon after, recovered again when he met his now best friends, Joly and Bossuet. His happiness was a rather shitty wifi signal: usually there but slightly wonky and mediocre, a little frustrating because it kept randomly breaking off without any warning but when it was there, it was like a dream come true. With Combeferre, however, he felt… at ease. It was something that rarely happened but more frequently so through the last years. Talking to him had been easy from the very start – they had clicked.

“So, letting someone into your flat, what stage is that for you then?”

Combeferre smirked and unlocked the door to his flat. “I still haven’t unpacked all the boxes, I have to confess. My flatmates are both out of town for the weekend. They’re great people! Jehan hooked me up with them. Enjolras and Courfeyrac, you know them?”

“I do, yeah. Frequent visitors of the library; they used to have their political meetings there before moving to a coffee shop. They’re really nice people. Enjolras is prone to discussions, Courfeyrac once threw a book out of a window because he hated the sexist and racist author of it. They’re both very passionate people.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Combeferre grinned. “I really like them. I was a bit anxious at first, if they would accept me. I was told they had lived with a good friend who recently moved out. I was worried they would keep comparing me to their former flatmate. But… I just felt so comfortable from the second I met them. They’re both very physical people, which is nice. I am, too.” Combeferre got out some cutleries for them. “Kitchen or my bedroom? Where do you prefer to eat?”

“Uhm… whatever you like? We have a lot to eat, so maybe the kitchen would be better? More space to put the food.”

“Yup, but I have soft blankets in my room.”

Grantaire laughed. “Oh, you’re just trying to get me into your bed, admit it.”

“Nah, that’s… actually, I doubt that’s even a stage on my relationship-ladder. Romantic and platonic, that is.”

“Really?” Grantaire raised his eyebrows and helped him unpack the boxes. “Oh god, this smells so good.” He sat down opposite of Combeferre at the breakfast bar and took a piece of Dodo. “What’s this?”

“It’s like motherly love,” Combeferre grinned and popped one of the Dodos into his mouth. “Deep-fried plantains. Oh my god, they put spices on them before frying. Just like my Grandma used to make them. We have to go back to that place. Even if the rest of their food is crap, it’s worth it for the Dodo.”

“I’m really glad you like the food,” Grantaire smiled at him. “It’s good to have something of your own culture, isn’t it? As much as I like French food, sometimes they don’t really understand how to actually spice things.”

“Ugh, I know right?” Combeferre grinned and popped another Dodo into his mouth. “So good.”

“Better than sex? I mean, it’s not on your ladder…”

“It’s because there’s no fixed level for it, you know? Plus, I said getting someone into my bed. That doesn’t always involve sex. The second night at this place and I already had Enjolras and Courfeyrac in my bed for a movie night. With my last boyfriend… well, he didn’t actually stay over at my place until four months into our relationship. Neither I at his place. We had sex half a year into our relationship. The boyfriend before… two days and I slept with him. It depends on how I click with someone. And apparently I click well with you, considering I just told you when I had sex with the only two boyfriends I’ve ever had.”

“You really are a talkative one, aren’t you?” Grantaire smiled at him. “Keep it up, I’m more of a listener.”

“Usually I am too,” Combeferre confessed, “but it’s easy with you. I think Courfeyrac and Cosette rubbed off on me in the time I’ve been living in Paris. They’re very lively and outgoing, they make it easy to feel you welcomed, they make it easy to make you feel interesting. Does that make sense?”

“It does. I have the same with Cosette. She makes you feel weirdly soft inside, doesn’t she? Like you could spill the truth about yourself with no one to judge.”

“I’d never judge.” Combeferre squeezed his hand softly. “How do you like the obe egusi you’re eating?”

“It’s amazing! I can’t believe I’ve never had Nigerian food before.”

“You never had a Nigerian-French friend before.”

“Very true. Have you ever had a Guatemalan-French friend before?”

“Nope. I have yet to try Guatemalan food.”

“Next time, when we have a new book to talk about. Which reminds me: we still gotta talk about it. I want to know your first impression after you closed it.”

With an excited nod, Combeferre launched into his impression of _The Martian_ , followed by an extensive discussion of the book. As both had seen the movie, a heated talk about the differences, advantages and disadvantages of the movie was obviously irremissible. The moved on from the book to the question of alien existence on Mars, then to aliens in general. Movies about aliens, _Men In Black_ , pugs. At some point, Combeferre risked a glance at the clock on the kitchen wall.

“Oh shit! It’s after midnight. Uhm… is your metro still running?”

“Hold on…” Grantaire checked his phone quickly. “Last one’s leaving in five minutes. Think I can make it?”

“If you put on your shoes right now this second, you could make it but considering you need to go down three flights of stairs and there’s a traffic light between us and the station… I’m not sure.”

Grantaire sighed, ran a hand through his curls and groaned. “Okay, I can’t pay for a cab, no way. You reckon I can walk from here to my place?”

Combeferre shrugged and turned on the kettle. “If you’re willing to walk through Paris at night all by yourself. I also have a very comfortable air mattress and a spare set of bedding, in case you don’t want to walk through Paris alone after midnight.”

 Smiling softly, Grantaire nodded. “I’m not quick to accept such invitations, so please imagine me protesting a bit more, but it is a shit weather outside and I’m not done talking about retro pugs yet. They’re cute, but I do want a bigger dog.”

“Yeah? What kind? Courfeyrac and Enjolras are more cat people, I’ve learned. I’m very much a dog person.”

“Oh I love Leonberger or Newfoundlands. Amazing animals, so calm and cuddly and serene! What about you?”

“Well I do like my retro pugs, but I wouldn’t say no to a Newfoundland. They’re like bears, it’s amazing!”

“Yes exactly!” Grantaire beamed at him and thanked him when Combeferre handed him a cup of tea.

“You wanna head into my bedroom? It’s more cozy there and we should set up the mattress before we’re too tired to do so.”

“Well, now you’ve done it,” Grantaire grinned, “you’re getting me into your bedroom. Only a small step to get me into your bed now.”

“Grantaire, you will be in my bed because I’m not gonna make you sit on the ground while we chat.”

“Aw, so I really am your friend now,” Grantaire teased him, softly jabbing his finger to Combeferre’s chest.

“Yes, of course you are my friend,” Combeferre smiled softly.

He squeezed Grantaire’s arm softly before he made his way into his bedroom, closely followed by Grantaire. There was a slight warmth blossoming in Grantaire’s chest, spreading from his heart over his collarbone to his shoulders. He was certain that at some point, the warmth would reach his tummy, his fingertips. And then, Grantaire knew, then he’d be in deep shit.

Grantaire made himself comfortable on Combeferre’s bed after they’d blown up the mattress, balancing the cup of tea on his knees.

“Your room is nice,” Grantaire decided after having looked around a bit.

“Thank you. It’s not ready yet. I bought a few glow-in-the-dark-stars for the ceiling but I’m not entirely sure how to arrange him.”

“You’re fucking with me, right?”

“Uhm…” Combeferre softly coughed, having choked on his tea. “I… why? Why are you asking?”

“Wait.” Grantaire pulled out his phone and quickly showed him a photo on his Instagram feed. “I painted my ceiling to look like the night sky. There’s no way I’m gonna let a friend of mine stick a few sad stars up there when he could have something like this.”

“But I can’t do that…”

“Honey, I can. We can take a trip to the warehouse, get the paint and then I’ll help you paint it. Throw in some glow-in-the-dark paint so it looks really nice. What you reckon?”

“Mhhh,” Combeferre mused. “I would like that, yes, but isn’t that horribly expensive?”

“Well… it’s definitely more expensive than a few plastic stars. It’s okay, we don’t have to. I just thought it would be fun, to, you know… spend more time with you.”

“It really would be fun. Alright. Let’s do it. Rent is cheap, I earn good money – Valjean pays really well considering we’re only a small library. Why not? Let’s do it.”

“Let’s do it then,” Grantaire beamed at him. “Hey, can I take a look at your book shelf?”

Combeferre laughed and nodded. “Look at whatever you want.”

“Thank you!” Grantaire got up quickly and looked through Combeferre’s extensive book collection.

Once he had found a book to his liking, Grantaire settled down again on the book. Like a child, he went through the book on paintings, looking at the photographs, pointing out obscurities and observations. He was glad that Combeferre indulged him, chatted with him about the art inside, informed him about the culture behind it. By the time it turned 3am, both men were fast asleep, curled up together on the bed, around a book of paintings. When the sun started to rise a few hours later, Grantaire slowly blinked his eyes open. He was met with a still sleeping Combeferre, knees tucked as close to his chest as possible. Grantaire revelled in the slowness of the morning, the softness of the pillow underneath his cheek, the serenity of the sunlight streaming into Combeferre’s room. He noticed the small signs of Combeferre waking up; the nose-scrunch, the slight twitching of his left leg. Within minutes, Combeferre opened his eyes and looked blearily at Grantaire.

“Good morning,” Grantaire smiled softly. “Awake?”

Combeferre shook his head softly. “Not yet.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Not yet, no.”

“Can I ask you something still?”

“Mhm, alright.”

“Would you consider going out with me some time? On a date?”

“Yeah. And I’m not just saying that cause I’m sleepy. Saying that cause I mean it. Bird tweeted me you’ll make breakfast.”

“Oh, is that so?” Grantaire grinned at him.

“That’s so, cause you made me sleep in a bed with a book which has an edge that is currently digging into my back. You’re making breakfast, I’ll think about which design I want for my stars.”

“Alright.”

“Alright,” Combeferre said, smiling at him softly.


End file.
